Taxonomic review of the North American species of the accentuata and celer groups of the genus Anyphaena Sundevall, 1833 (Araneae: Anyphaenidae), with description of eight new species

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  Taxonomic review of the North American species of the accentuata and celer groups of the genus Anyphaena Sundevall, 1833 (Araneae: Anyphaenidae), with description of eight new species Abstract Anyphaena is a diverse spider genus with 66 species distributed in North America. This is the type genus of the family Anyphaenidae and comprises five species groups (accentuata, celer, pacifica, pectorosa and porta), with the celer group having the highest species richness. Here, we conducted an extensive revision of Anyphaena specimens from several North American spider collections, as part of a comprehensive study of the accentuata and celer species groups in the region. As main results, we emended the descriptions with detailed information for male and female genitalia for two the previously proposed species of accentuata group and thirty-two previously proposed species of celer group from North America and describe eight new species from Mexico: A. brescoviti sp. nov., A. estriada sp. ...

'Venom' – a manipulative weapon for overcoming the victim’s protective barriers

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'Venom' – a manipulative weapon for overcoming the victim’s protective barriers

This letter is in response to the article 'What is animal venom? Rethinking a manipulative weapon' by Jenner, Casewell, and Undheim (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2025.05.009).
I would like to congratulate Jenner et al. for their excellent job in redefining the contested term 'animal venom' into: 'Venoms manipulate the physiological functioning of recipients to produce extended phenotypes that are beneficial to the venom producer and detrimental to its victim' [1]. Their new focus on the 'extended phenotype' overcomes some restrictions of previous definitions [2,3] resulting in the inclusion of zootoxic, hematophagous, phytophagous, phytotoxic, and sexual venoms under the venom umbrella [1]. To still keep the term compact and manageable, their venom definition retained the need for penetrating the victim’s external protective barrier by specialised morphological structures stating that 'venoms are delivered through the infliction of a wound, while poisons are not' [1]. In line with previous definitions, ingested or inhaled toxins are considered poisons [1., 2., 3.]. While I largely agree with their new definition, I’d like to suggest an alternative definition that clarifies conflicting aspects around spat or sprayed venoms and that expands the term 'venom' beyond animals to include zootoxic plant venoms like those of the Australian stinging tree Dendrocnide excelsa [4]. Venoms evolve from conflicts between organisms, and they feature a variety of mechanisms to overcome the resulting challenges. Mechanical injury is not the only possible route for toxins to penetrate the victim’s protective barriers; hence my amended venom definition, which follows, also includes delivery by chemical means:
Venom is a manipulative weapon endogenously produced by a multicellular eukaryotic organism to overcome external protective barriers of another organism (i.e., the victim) to induce extended detrimental phenotypes, providing an evolutionary benefit for the venomous organism.

Herzig, V. (2025). 'Venom' – a manipulative weapon for overcoming the victim’s protective barriers. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2025.09.011